Airship



July 22 .-1924. q 1,502,084

, aw. ADKINS AIRS'HIP Flile'dl'May 1 1922 s sheds-sheet 1 IPIINVENTOR.

' #54 ATTORNEY.

M. W. ADKINS AIRSHIP July 22, 1924. I 1,502,084

. Filed May 1 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

I BY wii/ass Patented July 2 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES 'MARION W. ADKINS, OF KANSASCITY,.MISSOEURI.

AIBSHIP. l

V Application filed May 1',-1=922. SerialNo.- 557,620.

" To all whom it may concern.

. cheap,;very; strong and durable, which will offer relatively small resistance to forward 7 Be it known that I, MARION W. ADKINS;

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in airships. It relates particularly to plane supported air ships.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an air ship frame which is simple,

movement, which has great stability, and which is not liable to serious damage in rough landing.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a novel supporting plane so arranged and constructed as to alford great lifting capacity, which is incorporated in the frame so as to provide a very strong structure, which is disposed longitudinally with respect to the line of flight and is relatively narrow so as to present a small cross sectional surface subjective to pressure of the air through which it is driven.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel cabin for housing the driving machinery and the passengers and operators, which will offer small resistance to air pressure from the front and which greatly strengthens the frame.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved airship.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, on the line 22 of Fig. 3, and partly broken away, of a portion of the frame.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of what is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of my improved airship.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section, on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, some of the parts being omitted and some being broken away.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross section on the line 77 of Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the diiferent views.

The frame of the machine comprises-three principal'elements' consisting ofa lgingi tudinal concavo=convex .forwarfdly and; upwardly inclined supporting plane i i-haying its underside attached. to-thewu pperhends of two vertical parallellongitudinal trusses,

each consisting of two arcuate longitudinal channel beams 2, the ends of which are attached to the under side -ofthe planel, at the respective ends thereof and appoints spaced apart from the adjacent lateralf edge of the plane 1, and-vertical chaniiel loars 3, the lower ends. of which. are: attached. to the adjacent beam 2, and the upper ends of which are attached to the under concave side of the plane 1.

For bracing the plane 1, it may have attached to its upper sides transverse arcuate channel bars 4, which are disposed in vertical alinement respectively with the bars 3.

Two longitudinal plates 5 are attached at their upper edges to the under side of the plane 1., adjacent to the lateral edges respectively of the latter. Crossed bracing rods 7 are attached at their upper ends to the adjacent plate 5, and at their lower ends they are attached to the adjacent beams 2.

Bracing rods 8 are attached respectively at their lower ends to the barsB, and extend inwardly and upwardly therefrom and are attached at their upper ends to the under side of the plane 1, Figs. 2, 3 and 6.

For preventing lateral skidding and for preserving stability, a central longitudinal vertical fin 9 may be attached tothe upper side of the plane 1. The plane 1 at its rear end may be curved slightly downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1.

The frame is supported, when on the ground, by carrying wheels 10, four in number, rotatably mounted on two axles 11 mounted in bearings 12 secured to the,

beams 2.

Below the plane 1 and between the two trusses is a cabin having a floor 13mounted on the beams 2, side walls 14 attached respectively to the inner sides of the bars 3, and a roof 15 mounted on the upper edges of the walls 14. The forward and rear ends of the floor 13 and the roof 15 converge toward each other and are joined at their forward and rear ends, so that the air pressure on the bottom of the 'floor will tend to lift the forward end of the machine and ofiset the downward pressure on the front end of the roof.-

In the forward portion of the cabin may be provided engines 16 provided with propeller shafts 17 respectively carrying propellers 18 adapted to pull the machine for- Wardly, Similar engines 19 located in the rear portion of the cabin have shafts 20 carrying propellers 21 arranged to push the machine forwardly.

When the propellers 18 and '21 are driven in the proper direction, the machine will be propelled forwardly on the Wheels 10 until suflicient speed has been acquired for the plane 1 to lift the machine, at which time suitable steering mechanism may be employed to guide the machine in such directions as it is desired to go.

Owing to the small cross sectionalarea of the machine which is exposed to wind pressure from the front, there Will be a minimum of resistance to the forward movement through the air.

Owing to'theconstruction of the frame great rigidity and strength is afforded.

lateral door and Windows 23 may be provided in the cabin walls.

I do not lirnitmy invention to the structure shown and described, as many modiflcations Within the scope of the appended claim, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

hat I claim is in an airship, a frame including a longitudinal supporting plane at the top there of and including two parallel vertical longitudinal trusses, the upper ends of which are attached to the under side of the plane at points spaced apart from the lateral edges of the plane respectively, braces connecting said lateral edges with said trusses respectively. and braces respectively secured to said trusses and attached to the under side of the plane at the inner sides of said braces, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

. MARION W. ADKINS. 

